Marcellus Shale & TENORM

Transcription

1 Marcellus Shale & TENORM ISCORS Meeting May 1, 2013 David J. Allard, CHP, Director PA DEP, Bureau of Radiation Protection (Rev. 4/30/2013) 1

2 Disclaimer - Any products or manufacturers mentioned or shown in photographs or text of this presentation, does not represent an endorsement by the author or the Department of Environmental Protection. 2

3 RADIATION PROTECTION SYSTEM RADIATION BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS RADIOLOGICAL RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION PROTECTION STANDARDS, STANDARDS, STATUTES STATUTES AND AND REGULATION REGULATION (FEDERAL (FEDERAL AND AND STATE) STATE) RADIATION RADIATION PROTECTION PROTECTION OF OF WORKERS WORKERS RADIATION RADIATION PROTECTION PROTECTION OF OF THE THE ENVIRONMENT ENVIRONMENT RADIATION RADIATION PROTECTION PROTECTION OF OF PATIENTS PATIENTS RADIATION RADIATION PROTECTION PROTECTION OF OF THE THE PUBLIC PUBLIC INCIDENTS AND ACCIDENTS RADIATION MEASUREMENTS DOSIMETRY & INSTRUMENTATION 3

4 Radiation Protection Radiation exposure may have a risk Biological effects: acute or chronic (i.e., cancer) Justify, optimize (ALARA), limit dose 4

5 Biological Effects Cancer assume a linear no threshold (LNT) model 5

6 Feds in Rad / Nuc Protection 6

7 RP Regulations for TENORM Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)? Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)? Dept. of Energy (DOE)? Dept. of Labor - Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)? Dept. of Transportation (DOT)? States? 7

8 Customary Dose Limits Public 100 mrem/yr; 500 mrem/yr; 25 mrem/yr any one source; 4 mrem/yr drinking water Patients few dose limits; 300 mrad mammography Worker 5,000 mrem/yr whole body 15,000 mrem/yr lens of eye 50,000 mrem/yr skin / extremity / organ Worker s embryo / fetus 500 mrem; and less than 50 mrem/month (patient s fetus?) *** Emergency Workers *** 5-25 rem (>25 rem, if planned for life saving or major property) 8

9 Legislative Authority Radiation Protection Act (Act ) Solid Waste Management Act (Act ) Appalachian States LLRW Compact Act (Act ) LLRW Disposal Act (Act ) LLRW Disposal Regional Facility Act (Act ) 9

10 PA RP Regulations PA Title 25 Environmental Protection > Article V. Radiological Health* General Provisions Lic. of Radioactive Materials (RAM) Standards for Protection Against Rad Notice, Instructions & Reports X-rays in the Healing Arts Packaging & Transport of RAM LLRW Management & Disposal Radon Certification *Note: Partial list of Chapters; and on Nov incorporated NRC regs in Title 10 CFR by reference 10

11 PA SW Regulations Title 25 Environmental Protection > Article VIII and IX Municipal and Residual Waste Municipal Waste Management General Provisions Municipal Waste Landfills Construction/Demolition Waste Landfills Transfer Facilities Composting Facilities Resource Recovery Facilities (RRF) 11

12 LANDFILLS TRANSFER STATIONS (There are also six RRFs in Central and SE PA.) 12

13 Landfill Under Construction EPA RCRA D LF with liner and leachate collection 13

14 Rev of SW Regulations Basic Limitations The following radioactive material controlled under specific or general license or order authorized by any federal, state or other government agency shall not be processed at the facility, unless specifically exempted from disposal restrictions by an applicable Pennsylvania or federal statute or regulation: NARM Byproduct material Source material Special nuclear material Transuranic radioactive material Low-level radioactive waste 14

15 SW Regulations Basic Limitations (cont.) - The following radioactive material shall not be disposed / processed at the facility, unless approved in writing by the department and the disposal / processing does not endanger the health and safety of the public and the environment: Short lived radioactive material from a patient having undergone a medical procedure TENORM Consumer products containing radioactive material - The limitations in subsections ( ) and ( ) shall not apply to radioactive material as found in the undisturbed natural environment of the Commonwealth. 15

16 Action Plans SW Facility must have a RP Action Plan Can have a disposal option for NM RAM, and small quantity of TENORM and consumer products Plan summary posted for facility personnel Facility personnel trained to Action Plan Monitoring equipment in place Proper response if monitors alarm Customer and waste hauler awareness Ensure that at least one trained person on duty 16

17 Trucks Being Monitored 17

18 SW Regs - Action Levels Below, average background* + 10 mr h -1 (max) NO ACTION REQUIRED - treat waste in normal manner. ACTION LEVEL 1 Above average background + 10 mr h -1 (alarm set point) shall cause an alarm, facility INVESTIGATES! ACTION LEVEL 2 Above 2 mr h -1 in vehicle cab, 50 mr h -1 on any other surface, or contamination NOTIFY PaDEP / BRP and isolate waste and / or vehicle. *Note: 10 mr h -1 limit on instrument background. 18

19 RAM Alarms at SW Facilities Hundreds of onsite radiation alarm responses ~ 90% NM RAM in household waste ~ 9% NORM or TENORM [on the rise] ~ 1% NM RAM in driver < 1% Regulated or controlled RAM DEP Fact Sheets on tritium and orphan source / LLRW disposal 19

20 Implementation Over 170 SW facility permit modifications for RP Action Plans Over 140 initial onsite inspections Annual Reports being reviewed Hundreds of DOT SP exemptions issued Official DOT interpretation on RAM in household waste in not subject to hazmat regs in 49CFR RP Action Plans for POTWs / STPs / CWTs 20

21 Cs-137 and Am-241 Well Logging Sources RAM in O&G Industry Nuclear Density Gauge Co-60 or Ir-192 Industrial Radiography Sources 21

22 Gas Well RAM Tracer December 2009 Ir-192 Tracer Proppant Detected at a PA Landfill 22

23 Guidance - Disposal Option TENORM TENORM, surface dose rate < 50 mr h 5 cm, combined radium activity < 5.0 pci/g, and below 1 m 3 - facility can dispose / process without DEP approval Higher levels permitted with BRP Director approval, if pathways analysis demonstrates dose to maximum exposed person is less than 25 mrem yr -1 from all exposure pathways (i.e., using resident farmer and RESRAD code) 23

24 Guidance - Disposal Option TENORM - RESRAD Code: resident farmer evaluation, public dose limit 25 mrem/yr, all pathways (i.e., radon, ground shine and drinking water), looking out 1000 years. 24

25 Background NORM / TENORM > Ra-226 From: ISCORS POTW Study 25

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27 Pennsylvania Geology 27

28 Circa 1910, Dr. E.T. Wherry surveys of PA U deposits for Ra

29 Uranium in PA 29

30 Oil & Gas in Pennsylvania Drakes Oil Well c

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34 Shale Plays in Lower 48 States 34

35 Natural Gas in Shale 35

36 Patriot News 36

37 < Scientific America (2008) ^ National Geographic (March 2013) 37

38 MS Depth to Shale Base 38

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40 MS Play 40

41 Marcellus Shale 41

42 Marcellus Shale 42

43 Utica Shale 43

44 Gas Well Permits in PA 44

45 Gas Wells Drilled in PA 45

46 Marcellus Shale 46

47 Marcellus Shale 47

48 U-238 Decay Chain U-238 ~ 99.3% by wt, ~50% of radioactivity 48

49 Th-232 Decay Chain 49

50 Gas Well Development 50

51 Shale Gas Wells 51

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54 Marcellus Shale - Observations MS uranium content: ppm MS U-238 content: ~ pci/g MS Ra-226 content: ~ pci/g MS frac H20 Ra-226: ~11,000 pci/l DW MCL Ra-226 / gross a: 5 / 15 pci/l 54

55 Marcellus Shale - Observations > Treated frac H20 sludge: mr/h > Treated frac H20 sludge: BG - 3,000 pci/g > Gas Well Environs, 45 PA Sites, CY Background: 9.0 mr/h - Well Pads: 8.7 mr/h - Well Pits: 9.3 mr/h [some mr/h] > Radon in Natural Gas: 37 pci/l [1-79 pci/l] 55

56 Environmental Concerns Earth Day

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58 NY Times 58

59 NY Times 59

60 NY Times 60

61 NY Times 61

62 NY Times 62

63 Frac H2O with Ra no DOT placards on trucks! Frac Water Treatment 63

64 Frac Water Treatment Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) that have become contaminated by TENORM - no land farming! 64

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66 Deep Well Injection Marcellus shale Frac water Concentrates 66

67 EPA DW MCLs 67

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69 Radon-222 in Natural Gas Action level: 4 pci/l 69

70 CRCPD SSR Part N 70

71 ANSI Standard on TENORM 71

72 Produced H2O: 100s 1000s pci/l 72

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78 MS TENORM - Issues Public / Worker Exposure >100 mrem/y? Unknown Environmental Impact? Long-term TENORM Waste Disposal 78

79 MS TENORM - Issues MS radium-226 levels in waste water Impact on streams and rivers MS radium-226 levels in sludges Rad levels in waste water treatment Landfill disposal capacity for sludges 79

80 MS TENORM - Issues Management of MS rock cuttings Ra-226 in brines used in treating roads STP biosolids with TENORM Radon levels in natural gas Radon decay products in gas lines TENORM in other shales (e.g., Utica) 80

81 PA TENORM Study 81

82 PA TENORM Study TENORM Cradle to grave Well sites, H2O recycle, transport Waste water treatment, landfills, pipe yards Beneficial use of brines and cuttings Gas distribution and use, radon Re-evaluated disposal modeling 82

83 PA TENORM Study Defined problem, goal, data / info needs Scope, analytical methods, QC, lit review Field Sampling Plan, QAPP Landfill disposal model, site specific? Report, conclusions, recommendations Peer review [SoW, FSP, QAPP & Report] 83

84 TENORM Information EPA CRCPD HPS Reference Lit. 84

85 Thank you! Questions? 85

86 Contact Information - David J. Allard, CHP PADEP / Bureau of Radiation Protection PO Box 8469 Harrisburg, PA, Tel.: Fax: djallard@pa.gov radiation 86